Arm rest



Oct. 27, 1959 A. M. JOHNSON ARM REST Filed Jan. 12, 1959 N o s N H 0 V M N A l- L A United States Patent 1 2,910,259 ARM REST Allan M. Johnson, Seattle, Wash. Application January 12, 1959, Serial No. 786,101 3 Claims. (Cl. 2481'18) This invention relates to an arm rest and, more particularly, to an arm rest for use with a surgical table for the purpose of supporting a reclining patients arm outward in cantilevered fashion at the side of the table.

It is known in the prior art to provide arm rests for surgical tables. However, it has been my observation that the prior art devices are unduly complicated in a mechanical sense involving clamps or other fastening means or articulated parts by which variable angular relationships are obtained. It appears to me that the prior art devices are so unduly complicated that it is rare to find a surgical room equipped with a metal arm rest. A prior art arm rest which is not physically attached to a surgical table is known. However, due to its construction and mode of use this device has proven in practice to be unstable and easily displaced, thus resulting in displeasure on the port of an operating surgeon or his attendant or to the discomfort of the patient.

It is among the more important objects of this invention to provide: an arm rest which may be held in place and secured to a table by the weight of the patient and which, under such circumstances, provides a surprising stability when placed in an infinite number of adjusted positions; an arm rest which is simple and easy to construct and lends itself well to the hygienic and sanitary practices to which surgical equipment and appliances must be subjected; and an arm rest which is extremely strong despite the fact that it is made of light weight sheet metal.

In essence, my invention is embodied in a thin elongated blade which is divided into two portions that are shaped in such a way that each includes a concave face, the concave faces of the two portions preferably being oppositely directed in the unitary arm rest.

The details of construction and use of my arm rest will be fully apparent from the following description in which I have set forth a preferred form of the invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variations of the choice of materials employed and in size and proportion of the physical elements may be adopted. Such variations which fairly fall within the scope of the subjoined claims are contemplated to be part of this invention. I

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a schematic view showing my arm.- rest in use in connection with a surgical table, portions of the same being broken away for convenience of illustration;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the arm rest;

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken on line 44 of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a plan view of an alternative form of arm rest.

Referring to Figure 1 it will be seen that on table is placed a pad or mattress 12 on which the patient P lies. The arm rest 14 is normally disposed between the pad 12 and the upper surface of the table 10 in the manner shown. In this figure portion 16 of the arm rest underlies the patient and is held to the table by the weight of the patients body. An outstanding or cantilevered portion 18 of arm rest 14 supports the patients arm A in a lateral position extending outwardly from the table. It will be understood that one of the purposes for so supporting the patients arm is to position it for surgery or other attention.

It is preferable that this arm rest be manufactured of 2,910,259 Patented Oct. 27, 1959 r sheet material which includes any of the so-called plastic sheets, fiber reinforced resinous sheets, fiber glass in sheet form, or sheet metals of which aluminum and duralumin are typical examples.

The device by which I have reduced my invention to practice is formed of sheet duralumin approximately M; of an inch thick of a suitable temper and hardness.

Between the portions 16 and 18 of the arm rest, I form web 20 which offsets and accommodates the transition between the two oppositely arranged concavo-convex curved portions 16 and 18. As shown in Figure l, the offset 20 functions to raise the outstanding portion 18 of the arm rest 14 to a level substantially the same as that of the pad 12 on which the patient is lying.

In the modified form of my invention shown in Figure 5 the arm rest 24 having first portion 26, second portion 28, and the intermediate offset 30, is also provided with a pair of reinforcing ribs 32 which stiffen the arm rest at the offset point. Ribs 32 are produced by deforming the sheet material in rib fashion between the contiguous portions of the arm rest. This tends to reduce any excessive springiness that might be present when light weight materials are used.

When the arm rest is in position for use, as in the instance shown in Figure 1, the concave face of first portion 16 is open downward and in direct opposition to the surface of the table 10. When the patient lies upon the pad 12 and his weight falls upon the convex surface of first portion 16, the edges of the concave face are thus caused to securely engage with the table surface and to bear thereon in a frictional manner. This tends to reduce or eliminate any unstable pivoting. In such an instance the outstanding or cantilevered portion 18 will have its concave face upward and it is on this thatthe patients arm is laid for treatment as for the administration of intravenous injections, anaesthesia, transfusions and the like.

It will be apparent that the arm rest may be reversed relative the table in 'which instance second portion 18 will be disposed under the pad 12 and on the table surface 10. The arm of the patient then lies upon first portion 16. I have shown that first portion 16 is tapered so as to narrow as it extends outward from the mid-portion of the armrest 14. By comparison second portion 18 is parallelsided, in which case it will be seen that the supporting surface area is greater with portion 18 than with portion 16. This larger surface is useful during surgery involving radical breast surgery wherein added intravenous equipment, extra syringes and the like are used.

The use of metal or polymerized plastic materials permits the arm rest to be cold sterilized, or to be sterilized in an autoclave in the present of live steam without damage. Due to the ofiset shape padding it is not necessary to bring the support level up to that of a table pad on which the patient may lie. In this latter respect one will recognize that in the surgical area with my arm rest there has been eliminated possible causes of infection.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. An arm rest for use withsurgical tables and the like, comprising: a thin elongated blade having a first portion to be pressed to and engaged on a table by the body weight of a patient, and a second portion to outstand' laterally of a table in arm supporting relation, said blade first portion being concave downwardly and said blade second portion being concave upwardly. I

2. The structure according to claim 1 in which the first and second portions of said blade are each concave-con concave faces of said first and second portions are offset from each other. 1

No references cited. 

